Loose leaf binder



LOOSE LEAF BINDER I Filed May 19, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ada l7 [ZLUHQP Oct. 25, 1938.. A. G. LOTTER LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed May 19, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m M .L Mi M 80/ 70 Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES LOOSE LEAF BINDER Adolph G. Lotter, Milwaukea wis, assignor 6 Stationers Loose Leaf Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin l Application May 19, 193 8 s erialbloigllsfi d 9 Claims.

This invention relates to binders, principally the large loose leaf record book type, and like the copending applications of Adolph G. Lotter, Serial Nos. 178,956 and 178,957, both filed December 9th,

5- 1937, relates particularly to mechanism for automatically connecting the binder posts with the hingedly connected back and covers during 010- sure of the binder. v

, Binders of this type generally comprise a back to which the covers are hingedly connected, and binder posts which pass through the body of leaves and are detachably connected either with the covers or the back. The actual connection is usually efiected by means of pintle bars carried either by the covers or back and slidably engagee able in loops or openings in the ends of the binder posts.

Disengagement of the pintle bars from the binder posts is effected by a manually applied pull on the pintle bars, but re-engagement, as noted hereinbefore, is desirably effected automatically upon closure of the binder. The two copending applications mentioned are directed to this same broad object, but it has been found K that smoother operation is possible with the simplified construction of the present invention.

The specific object of this invention, therefore, is to improve the mechanism employed for automatically effecting re-engagement of the pintle 3Q bars with the binder posts during closure of the binder with a view toward obtaining smoother operation and a more simplified mechanical construction.

With the above and other objects in view which 35 will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, comappertains, with a part broken away and in section;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view through the 55 binder, illustrating the manner in which the Figure 1 is a top View of a portion of a loose leaf binder of the type to which this invention posts are detached from hingedly connected covers and back; Figure 3 is an enlarged top view oi aportion of a binder, withparts broken away'andin section'to illustrate 'sp ecifically the mannerin which re-engagement of the pintle bar with the. binder posts isautomaticallylefiected;

.Ffigure 4 is a detailsectional view taken through Figure 3, on: the ;pl an e of--;the; line 4-4; and Figure 5' is a view similar to Figure 3, but illustrating a slightlymodified; embodiment of the invention.

. {Referring now particularly to; the; accompany- 'ing. drawings in-wh-ich' like numerals-indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates the back of a binder oi the, character described :to which covers 6 are hingedly connected, as at I. -The" endswhen theLbinderisclosed.- With the post ends soipositioned, pin fils on the pintle barsare projectable through'holes. M in theouter ends or the posts to c'd inectth lylcon'nected backiandflcovers.

Detachment oifl th'e posts. to 'peimit'ihseitm j or removal .of sheetsfrequires merely disengag ing the pins l3. irom th'e binder posts which can be effected by manually applying a pull,on the pintle bars. To facilitate such'manual appliprovidediwith a finger grip, indicated. generally by the. numeral l5in Figure 1.. I .Duringj' closure of thebinder, it is desired to have thepi'ntlebars automatically re-engaged with the binder posts, and to this end mechanism is. provided for returning the pintle bars into postengaging position, thismechanism being, pro pelled by .the closure of the covers. Inasmuch as the construction iof .the, pintle, bar actuating mechanism is the same at bothsides of the bindena description or" one of theniwill suflice for both. I. ,1

This. mechanism comprises an actuator l6 somewhat intheshape of a'bell crank lever pivposts with thehinged cation of 'fo rce,. .one end of each .pintle bar] is i oted asat I! to the 'metal plate-l2 with one end l8 thereof in position to engagean abutment l9 formed by a notclrin, the pintle bar. A rivet 21- fixed to the platelz anddisposed in-an arcuate slot 22 in the actuator serves to limit the motion of the actuator and also cooperates with the pivot I! in mounting the actuator on the plate.

The opposite end 23 of the actuator, which in effect constitutes the short arm of the bell crank lever, is pivotally connected as at 24 with a link 25. The link 25 is guided for motion substantially transverse to the sliding axis of the pintle by means of a rivet 26 fixed to the plate I2 and operating in a slot 21 in the link.

Hence, it will be seen that upon an outward push on the link 25, the actuator is swungabout its pivot IT to slide the pintle bar into post engaging position. Such motion is imparted to the link 25 during closure of the cover by means of a cam 28 fixed to the back and lying in the path of the adjacent end 29 ot the link, as clearly shown in Figure 4, to force the link outwardly as the cover is swung from a fully open positiontoward its closed position. i

If desired, the actuator may be in the Iormof a gear segment 30, as shown in Figure 5, with its teeth meshing'with a rack 31 on' the pintle bar. In other respects, with the possible exception of the Specific shape of the link 25, this modified embodiment of the invention is like that described.

The modified construction, however, has the added advantage of maintaining a positive 'driving connection between'the pintle bar and the actuator at all times so that in the event the pintle'bar is pulled out while the cover is closed, which would then prevent opening of the cover by disposing the end of the link over the cam, the parts'can be restored to their positions they occupy when the pintle bar'is inpost engaging position, to permit unrestricted opening of the cover.

' From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention materially simplifies the mechanism for automatically effecting re-engagement between the pintle bars and binder posts in record loose leaf binders, and that smooth operation is assured. i

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a loose leaf binder of the character described; a back; a cover hinged to the back; a binder post; a pintle bar slidable to and from engagement with the binder post; a lever pivotally mounted on the cover and operable to slide the pintle bar into post engaging position; and cooperating parts carried by the cover and the back for actuating the pivoted lever during closure of the cover.

2. In a binder of the character described: a back member; a cover member hinged to the back member; a binder post; a pintle bar slidably carried by one of said members and engageable with the binder post to connect the binder post with said hingedly connected members; alever engaging the pintle bar and pivotally mounted on the member which carries the pintle bar; and cooperating means carried by said members and operable during closure of the cover to actuate the lever for sliding the pintle bar into post engaging position. i

3. In a binder of the character described: a

back member; a cover member hinged to the back member; a binder post; a pintle bar slidably carried by one of said members and engageable with the binder post'forconnecting the binder post with said hingedly connected members; an actuator mounted on the member which carries the pintle bar and operable on the pintle bar to slide the same into post engaging position; cooperating parts carried by said hingedly connected members engageable during closure of the cover to effect relative motion between the cooperating parts; and means connecting one of said parts with said actuator so that the relative motion between the cooperating parts produced by closure of the cover moves the actuator to slide the pintlev bar into post engaging position.

4. In a binder of the character described: a back member; a cover member hinged to the back member; a binder post; a pintle bar slidably carried by one of said hingedly connected members and movable to and from engagement with the binder post to connect thebinder post with thehingedly connected members; an actuator pivotally mounted on the member which carries the pintle bar and operable on the pintle bar to slide it into post engaging position; a cam carried by the other of said members; and a cam follower connected with the actuator and engageable with said cam during closure of the cover to move the actuator in a direction toslide the pintle bar into post engaging position.

5. In a binder of the character described: a back member; a cover member hinged to the back member; a binder post; a pintle bar slidably car- 7 ried by one of said hingedly connected members member and operable upon said part of the link during closure of the cover member for moving said link and the actuator to slide the pintle bar into post engaging position.

6. In a binder of the character described: a backmember; a cover member hinged to the back member; a'binder post; a pintle bar slidably carried by one of said hingedly connected members and movable to and from engagement with the binder post to connect the binder post with the hingedly connected members; a rack on the pintle bar; a gear segment pivoted to the member which carries the pintle bar and meshingwiththe rack; and means operable during closure of the cover to'actuate the gear segment in-a direction to slide the pintle bar into post engaging position. '7. In a binder of :the character described: a back'member; a cover member hinged to the back member; a binder post; a pintle bar slidably carried by one of said hingedly connected membersand movable to and from engagment withv the binderpost to connect the binder post with the hingedly connected members; a gear segment pivotally mounted on the member which carries the pintle bar; a rack carried by the pintle bar and meshing with the teeth of the gear segment so that the gear segment and the pintle bar are joinedfor concurrent motion; and cooperating parts carried by said hingedly connected members for positively actuating the gear segment in a direction to slide the pintle bar into post engaging position during closure of the cover member.

8. In a binder of the character described: a back member; a cover member hinged to the back member; a binder post; a pintle bar slidably carried by one of said hingedly connected members and movable to and from engagement with the binder post to connect the binder post with the hingedly connected members; an abutment on the pintle bar; an actuator pivoted to the member which carries the pintle bar and having a part engageable with said abutment so that movement of the actuator in one direction slides the pintle bar into post engaging position; and cooperating means carried by said hingedly connected members for so moving the actuator during closure of the cover member.

9. In a loose leaf binder of the character described: a back; a cover hinged to the back; a binder post; a pintle bar slidable to and from engagement with the binder post; a pivoted lever operable on the pintle bar to slide it into post engaging position; and cooperating parts carried by the cover and the back engageable during closure of the cover and operable to propel said lever to slide the pintle bar to its post engaging position.

ADOLPI-I G. LOTTER. 

